England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 39
COLOS. 1.19. That [in him] ſhould all fulneſſe dwell, &c.
Opportunity and aſſiſtance hath continued to purſue our work, both beyond our expectation; God muſt have all the glory. We ſpake laſt day of Chriſts wealth, and we founde his revenue very great; we are now to tell you where it lies. Much may be nothing, ſo it may be ſituated; ſituation is the glory of our inheritance: Chriſts inheritance lies very commodiouſly, very bleſſedly, it lies all in him: It pleaſed the Father, that [in him] ſhould all fulneſſe dwell. You dwell in your inheritance, but Chriſts inheritance dwels in him. You have a hint here, how to raiſe eſtimation.
Doctr. We are to prize perſons and things according to the wealth and worth that they have in them. Chriſt hath all worth in him.
Felicity makes eſtimation, as we contrive things to contribute to this, ſo we put price upon them: Mans felicity lies inward; as his ſoul, and not as his body is in wealth, ſo is he bleſſed. Sin is a gangrene, the bowels are gnawed, the plague of man is at his heart; health is beſt wealth; that's wealth indeed, that makes the ſoul well. Faculties fight, the Devill ſets them on, the heart cannot ſtill its own ſtirs; if God in this caſe do nothing within, the man is a poor creature for all his riches; a million of money cannot give a moments eaſe, the man wil be diſtracted in the midſt of abundance, and curſe his gold as an Idol god, and wiſh his bags his winding ſheet; things ill within, and nothing can be well without; but the ſpirit full of God, though the purſe be not full of money, the condition is bleſſed, and to be admired as poſſeſſing all: 'Twas Chriſts caſe, and is here admired by the Apoſtle: It pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell; without him he had nothing.
Internall wealth is great; outward things are but ſeemingly big, like watry vapours; internall wealth is the Sun himſelf, and no ſeeming big rayes of the Sun: Know ye not that Chriſt is in you? &c. So much grace in the heart, ſo much of Chriſt himſelf; ſoul-fulneſſe is nothing elſe, but one ſpirit filling up another. Magnitude makes admiration, a …rum of grace is great; 'tis God, the great God in you: Judgement amongſt us is falſe; things ſhould be weighed in an even ballance, to make right eſtimation of perſons and things. We value the casket only, and not what is in it; if vaſtneſs of eſtate makes difference in price, that's greateſt which lies within. The weakneſſe of God is ſtronger then men: So may I ſay, the leaſt of God in the heart, is more then all the world. A thing may take up little compaſſe, and yet be vaſtly big in price: What a great eſtate lies round together in ſome little ſtones? can you value one vertue? The price of Wiſdom is above Rubies, and yet the ſeat of this is within; the inner man hath many Jewels about his neck, of ineſtimable price; the Bride hath a chain of Pearls given her when married to Chriſt, ſo had Chriſt of his Father, when married to the fleſh, which is that according to which he is admired here as ſo wealthy, the Jewels which he had within him, in that casket of fleſh.
Internall wealth is delightfulleſt; riches are of two ſorts, earthly and heavenly, baſe and glorious; grace is riches of glory, as delightfull as heaven: Read how grace is called, Coloſ. 3.16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be ſtrengthened with might by his Spirit, according to the inward man. The riches of the inward man, are riches of glory. Stars twinckle and make the heavens all glorious: ſo Grace ſparkles and makes all glorious within. Chriſt is tranſient in the world, but he dwels in the hearts, and where he dwels is his chair of State, that's glorious. The Kingdome of Chriſt is glorious; that's within you; the killing of ſin is ſweet, the ſoul drinks the blood of the ſlain, and growes fat; 'tis heaven to any ſoul, to be conquered by Chriſt, his ſmitings are precious balm, what are his embraces then? Not any thing in grace, but moſt contentfull to the ſoul; the bittereſt things about grace are ſweet; the very bark and rind of grace ſweet. Perſons have not heaven as they have much without, but as they have much within: Heaven is all; the perſon that hath this in him is admirable, though never ſo contemptible in the world. It pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould be all the ſweeteſt delights that are in the boſome of God, and therefore admired here by the Apoſtle.
Internall wealth is the laſtingeſt. Much for yeers, begets it ſelf little every hour, to think of its end; riches, yea, life is a death; under this notion, that they will end. Life is dated; all things here are dated: Such a yeer, ſuch a monethmonth, ſuch an hour, and all mine; yea, I my ſelf ſhall die; this lies cold about the heart to conſider, and leſſens much. Internall wealth is laſting, grace is a tree of life. Mercy, that runs only into the purſe, runs out again; but Mercy, that runs into the ſoule, abides there for ever. You value eſtates, not as things hazardous, but according to what is ſure. What wealth is in the heart, is ſure; riches leave the bodie, but God never leaves the ſoule. Riches and honours are [with me,] yea durable riches and ſubſtance. Things have a naturall advantage, to wit, the advantage of their kinde, long lived by kinde: ſpirituall life is begotten by him that lives for ever, and ſo long lived by kinde: That which is borne of the ſpirit is ſpirit; ſo I may ſay, that which is borne of one that is eternall, is eternall. All wealth within us, is borne of the everlaſtingeſt Spirit, and is everlaſting it ſelfe. Things have alſo, an accidentall advantage, or an adventitious advantage, the advantage of their ſtation. In Heaven, wealth is ſure, ſaith Chriſt, there be no theeves breake in: ſo is wealth in the ſoule, graces are fixed ſtarres, in a region where nothing can come to pull downe, or darken. All ends in this, Perſons are to be prized according to the wealth and worth they have in them.
Ʋſe. If this rule were purſued, the world would be rightly ranked, and every one would have his place. Confuſion covers the earth, for want of right judgement; beggers are on horſeback, and Princes are on foot. The world is turned upſide downe, all is naught, this is every ones complaint: why you doe it, you look not at what perſons have in them, but at what you may have by them, & ſo you prefer them. Hypocriſie overſpreads the Land, great ones love flattery, alas for us! what windie, emptie, graceleſſe wretches, do we lay in our boſom! Wo unto the Land where the Prince is a child, ſaith the Prophet: double woe ſurely then to that Land, where Prince and people are children. Infatuation is a heavie ſtroake; there are more deadly blowes upon us, then wee are aware of: truth is trampled upon, and this lightly eſteemed, what judgement can be in men, to make judgement of perſons or wayes. O yee ſimple, underſtand wiſdome, ſaith Solomon; divine diſcretion is peculiar wiſdome, 'tis a thing by it ſelfe to diſcerne what true worth perſons and things have in them; and yet he that cannot doe this, will lay vipers in his boſom, and whet knives to cut his own throat: ſo haſt thou done, poore England, for a long time, which makes thee bleed now ſo long and ſo deadly.
Wee muſt plead with our Maker, and plead with our ſelves. O my ſoule, which ſide of things takes thee, inſide or outſide? Painting is a common art, and the worſt are beſt at it; women uſe it, men uſe it; Stateſmen, tradeſmen, you paint your words, your actions, you put gloſſe upon every thing in your ſhops; a man ſhall loſe his eſtate, yea, a man ſhall loſe his ſoule, that can look no further then out-ſides. 'Tis the unhappieſt time that ever came, to take any thing upon truſt, by the ſound, or by the outſide; perſons, preachers, prayers, Sermons: a man may have his ſoule ſlaine in the Sanctuary, his ſpirit turn'd out of the way, and bitterly beaten by watch-men. I ſaid in my haſte, (I may ſay it ſoberly) all men are liers: the Land with much bleeding, is turned into a rotten Bog; one thinkes he goes ſafe here, and ſafe there, and ſinkes over head and eares, ere he is aware. The boſome of a neighbour is your grave, his white candid words, your winding ſheet: Ah thrice unhappie man, that liveſt now in England, and canſt look no farther then outſides! Godlineſſe is a myſtery: the kernell of Scriptures, of every word you heare, lies inward. Chriſts words, are ſpirit and life. As the ſpirit and life of things is held out, ſo prize and imbrace them, and no otherwiſe. Many Sermons, nothing in them; Many books, nothing in them; Many perſons have fine clothes, but nothing in them: Let them goe for nothing, which have nothing in them: fine cloathes, are like fine covers and titles of books, both to be valued alike, if nothing folded up in them.
Ob. Sol. But I cannot diſcerne what is in them?
By what comes from them you may; 'tis proper to Chriſt in ſome ſenſe, to know what is in man, but 'tis proper enough to us to know what is in man, by what comes from him. Doth the breath of man ſtinke? then his intrailes are rotten. The heart and the tongue trade together; the tongue hath all from within; Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeakes. My heart was at my mouth, you have ſuch a Proverb; 'tis true. When the mouth frothes, the heart workes; if men drivel upon their beards, if mens words fall as drivel upon their chin, 'tis a light ſoule within, braines are cracked, or ſpirit curſt, which is worſe; and therefore ſay where you ſee ſuch ſights, as he to David, Away with this fellow, what ſhould I doe with mad-men? If you cannot finde what is in perſons or things, ſuſpend putting price upon them, till you can. Lay hands upon nothing ſuddenly, lay hearts upon nothing ſuddenly, let election of perſons and things, be deliberate.
If you cannot finde out what is in others, yet you may finde out what is in your ſelves: The ſpirit of man knowes the things that are in man. Some perſons ſwell with pride, and I wonder at them: doe you indeed know what is in you? In me there dwells no good, ſaith the Apoſtle, 'tis every mans caſe. 'Tis miſchievous not to know what is in others, but 'tis damnable not to know what is in our own heart, in ſome meaſure. You that ſwell in pride, know not your own hearts, if God be not mercifull to you, you will ſet ſuch a high price upon your ſelves, that Chriſt will give nothing for you, nor Chriſtians care nothing for you. Some creatures rot in their own dung; 'tis a heavie judgement, and yet 'tis your condition, that thinke highly of your ſelves. Were this rule I am upon purſu'd, things prized according to what worth is in them, there could not be a proud perſon amongſt us. Alas! what good is in me! what is in me, is Chriſts; he is all, all in all. If upon ſearch, you finde nothing in you, it ſhould not diſcourage, for Chriſt can become all in you. Chriſt is for inward diſeaſes, as well as for outward wants: if you be poore in purſe, he can inrich you, yea, if you be poore in ſpirit, he can inrich you, Eſa. 29.24. They alſo that [erred in ſpirit] ſhall come to underſtanding, and they that murmured, ſhall learne doctrine; Chriſt is excellent in working, Eſa. 28.29. not a wheele in the Watch within, that goes untrue, but he can finde it, and mend it.